The Newtown maintenance
department’s
salt supply has
dwindled to
nothing.
During the
most recent
Newtown
Village Council
meeting,
maintenance
Dickerson
supervisor Ron
Dickerson said he has placed
an order for more salt because
the amount bought prior to
winter has been depleted.
“We ran out of what we
ordered,” said Mayor Curt
Cosby, who noted there may
have to be an adjustment to
next year’s salt estimates.
FULL STORY, A2

Voice your opinion

The Anderson Township
Park District recently
discovered $50,000 of
taxpayers’ money that has
been sitting in the budget for
nearly four years (see story,
page A3).
What do you think?
Let us know by going online
and voicing your opinion by
typing Cincinnati.com/
andersontownship into your
Web browser’s address bar
and voting on our poll.
We’ll run the results in next
week’s edition of the Forest
Hills Journal.

Poll results

The results of the Feb. 2
unscientific poll on our
Anderson Township community
site at Cincinnati.com/
andersontownship asking
readers if Anderson Township
Trustee Russ Jackson
deserves an appointment to
one of three state commissions
to which he has applied are:
Yes:

Meg Callahan was shocked when she
arrived home on Dec. 17 to find thousands of dollars worth of jewelry missing.
Burglars gained entry to the home by
“shouldering” the side door and breaking
the frame, the incident report said.
The two young, white males suspected in the burglary also grabbed video
games, a tea set, money and other valuables from the Callahan’s Woodcroft
Drive home, the report said.
“It was a huge surprise because it happened in the afternoon in broad daylight,” she said, adding that nothing has
been recovered.
“What I’ve heard is they feel like a lot
of people are working during the day so
they feel like it’s an opportune time to
come.”
The Callahan’s case is fairly typical of
the recent rash of burglaries that have
occurred in Anderson Township, said Lt.
Mike Hartlzer, District 5 Commander for
the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
From October to the end of January,
there have been 20 burglaries and six
breaking and entering incidents on residential property. The reported incidents
occurred all over Anderson Township
with a few clustered in areas around
Salem Road and Clough Pike.
These are primarily daytime burglaries, Hartzler said, and suspects move
quickly, sometimes hitting and leaving a
home in less than five minutes. “They’re
looking for items that are easy to pawn
and items they can get rid of quickly,” he
said.
Video games and consoles, jewelry,

electronics and tools are among the hot
ticket items the suspected burglars take.
Hartzler said these items are generally
traded for cash or drugs.
A couple of suspects were arrested on
Sutton Road last year, but many of the
cases are still open.
“It’s very difficult, if we have no physical evidence, to catch these guys,” Hartzler said, noting this recent uptick is part
of a regular cycle of crime.
“It’s usually one or two groups of people that are moving into the area.”
Though there are close to 70 Neighborhood Watch groups in the township,
along with many in neighborhood business districts, Hartzler encourages all residents to be observant and report suspicious activity.
Tracy Sloan, leader of the neighborhood business district on Salem Road,
said the number of burglaries that happened in the township surprised her.
“We definitely try to keep our eyes
open,” she said.
The business district will likely discuss
the incidents and possible increased security measures at an upcoming meeting,
Sloan added.
“We don’t want citizens to be afraid,
but we want them to be alert and vigilant,” Hartzler said. “Criminals are not
planning on anyone noticing them. It
never hurts to make a call and can make
a world of difference.”
The Sheriff’s Office offers free security
checks to township residents and businesses. Contact Cpl. Dave Boiman, 6888400 or dboiman@anderson township.
org, for details.
For more about your community, visit
cincinnati.com/andersontownship.

A local seventh-grader is taking goodwill beyond the football
field.
Through a friendship established with the University of
Cincinnati Bearcats, Mitch Stone
hopes to generate support for children with cancer and blood diseases.
A “Playdate with the Bearcats”
fundraiser will be 4-7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, at the University of
Cincinnati Campus Recreation
Center, 2600 Clifton Ave. Proceeds
raised at the event will go toward
sending children who have pediatric cancer or blood diseases to
summer camp.
Stone, who is a seventh-grader
at Nagel Middle School, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2009.
Shortly after his diagnosis he
began a friendship with members
of the Bearcats football team
through an organization called
Friends of Jaclyn Foundation,
which matches children with brain
tumors to college sports teams.

FORREST SELLERS/STAFF

Amy Winstel, left, Mitch Stone and his mother, Dee, are helping to raise money to send children
with cancer to summer camp. Dee founded Mitch’s Mission after her son was diagnosed with a
brain tumor in 2009. The organization’s first fundraiser will be Saturday, Feb. 19.
Stone attended many of the
team’s games and events during
their 2009 season.
Stone’s mother, Dee, founded
the
non-profit
organization
“Mitch’s Mission” to help other
youngsters with cancer. This will

513-247-1110 HARPER’S STATION
CE-0000439512

50¢

be the organization’s first
fundraiser.
“We had so much support for
Mitch that we wanted to give
back,” said Dee, who is a resident
of Anderson Township. Dee said
the event is geared for youngsters

513-841-8257 HYDE PARK

and their families and will feature
a carnival-style atmosphere.
About 40 Bearcats will participate in the event, which will
include activities such as cornhole, face painting and assorted
games. The recreation center’s
pool and rock climbing wall will
also be open.
“I think it will be fun,” said
Mitch, whose is currently cancer
free. “We hope to raise a lot of
money to send kids to camp.”
Tickets are $15 per person, $50
per family. The proceeds will cover
summer camp costs for children
from the Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
“It’s cool that someone is stepping up to help continue this
camp,” said Amy Winstel, who is
handling social media for the
event.
“(Dee) saw this as an opportunity.”
For information, visit the website www.mitchsmission.com.
For more about your community visit
www.cincinnati.com/
andersontownship

A2

Forest Hills Journal

News

February 9, 2011

Village needs more
salt this winter
By Rob Dowdy
rdowdy@communitypress.com

The Newtown maintenance department’s salt
supply has dwindled to
nothing.
During the most recent
Newtown Village Council
meeting,
maintenance
supervisor Ron Dickerson

said he has placed an order
for more salt because the
amount bought prior to
winter has been depleted.
“We ran out of what we
ordered,” said Mayor Curt
Cosby, who noted there
may have to be an adjustment to next year’s salt estimates.
Dickerson has already

Dickerson
ordered 200
tons that should be delivered shortly. Newtown’s salt
supply is stored in a Hamilton County salt dome off of
Roundbottom Road.
Dickerson said the additional salt is being paid for
by savings made by each
department in the village, as
well as funds that carried
over from last year’s maintenance budget.
Dickerson said the village spreads about 10 tons
of salt per inch of snow. He
estimates the village has
already used 300 tons this
winter.
“That’s being very conservative with the salt,” he
said.
Dickerson
said
he
expects to ask for increased
amounts of salt prior to next
year’s winter in order to
avoid buying more during
the winter months.
For more about your
community, visit www.
Cincinnati.com/newtown.

Immaculate Heart of Mary
and the Anderson Towne
Center Kroger are partnering
for a food drive during the
month of February.
Barrels will be placed in
the store, 7500 Beechmont
Avenue, to collect non-perishable items for the Mercy
Franciscan at St. John Service Center in Over-theRhine.
Close to 1,000 pounds of
food were donated last year
during this drive. Call IHM,
388-4466, with questions.

The Anderson Tea Party
monthly meeting will be 7
p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, at
Anderson High School, 7560

By Rob Dowdy
Newtown’s Short Park is
expected to get the restroom
village officials have been
working on since 2008.
The village received a
$25,471 grant from the
Ohio Department of Natural
Resources for the approximately $66,000 project in
2008.
Newtown will also use
money from the sale of an
easement to the Hamilton
County Park District for the

extension of the Little
Miami Scenic Trail to fund
the restroom construction.
The village has received
two extensions on the grant
in order to complete the
project, and Mayor Curt
Cosby said this current
extension will expire in
June.
Newtown maintenance
supervisor Ron Dickerson
said with the village receiving the extension on the
grant work will likely begin

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Mental Health Support,
Recovery International offers
weekly support groups in the
Cincinnati area for people
dealing with mental health
issues.
A support group is conducted at 8 p.m. Thursdays at
Mt. Washington Presbyterian
Church, 6474 Beechmont Ave.
For more information call
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on the project in March.
Cosby said the project is
currently on hold until the
weather breaks.
“There’s no hurry to get
out in this weather,” he
said.
Cosby said once the project begins it should take
approximately 45 days to
complete.
The village has bought a
prefabricated
building,
which comes nearly completed.
Newtown was originally
expected to complete the
restroom facility by Dec. 31,
2010, but the village
requested an extension in
order have enough time to
buy the building and construct it in the park.
For more on your community,
visit www.Cincinnati.
com/newtown.

Forest Road.
The meeting will focus on
citizen engagement to counter voter fraud, to become poll
workers, and other local
Anderson area topics, including the November 2011 elections.
For more information, go
online to www.andersonteaparty.org.

Newtown restroom
to be done in spring
rdowdy@communitypress.com

EdibleArrangements.com

Resource to offer a monthly
spay/neuter clinic, beginning
Tuesday, Feb. 15.
For $25, residents can
bring cats to the Anderson
Township store from 6:307:30 a.m. Feb. 15.
Pets will be taken to the organization’s Cincinnati-based veterinary clinic for the procedure.
Cats will be returned at 9
a.m. the following day. Vaccinations, worming, flea treatment and micro-chipping also
is available for a fee.
Space is limited and
appointments are required.
Call 871-0185 or visit
www.neutervilleexpress.com
for details.

(Next to Anderson Township Pub)

(513) 231-7387(PETS)
Mon.-Fri. 7-7 • Sat. 9-5• Sun. 12-5

CE-0000446463

News

February 9, 2011

Anderson Twp. suspends retreats
By Lisa Wakeland

ning sessions.
In 2008 the two-day
retreat was conducted at the
Murphin Ridge Inn in
Adams County, about 50
miles east of Anderson
Township, and cost taxpayers more than $3,500 in
food and lodging.
The trustees planned to
conduct the 2009 retreat at
the same location, but a
snowstorm forced the twoday session to be conducted
at the Anderson Center.
That workshop meeting
cost taxpayers $692. Last
year, the retreat was conducted during one day at the
Anderson Center and cost
taxpayers less than $200.

lwakelnad@communitypress.com

Anderson
Township
trustees agreed last week to
temporarily suspend their
annual retreats.
Earlier this year, Township Administrator Vicky
Earhart suggested breaking
up the planning sessions,
generally held during one or
two days at the beginning
of each year. Officials cover
everything from the budget
and basic services to quality-of-life issues and development plans.
“In an attempt to retain
our attention it’s probably
better to break it into smaller sessions,” Trustee Peggy
Reis said.
The smaller sessions will
start in April, with the
trustees and township staff
focusing on one or two topics at each meeting. At
today’s
meeting,
the
trustees reviewed the 2011
budget and set the yearly
priorities.
Township officials typi-

Forest Hills Journal

A3

Priorities

At last week’s interim
meeting, the Anderson
Township trustees agreed to
keep the yearly priorities the
same as 2010.
Trustees agreed core
priorities are basic services,
fiscal responsibility and
image/quality of life.
Other priorities include
neighborhood preservations,
economic development, the
Beechmont corridor,
transportation and riverfront
development.
There was no formal
adoption since the priorities did
not change. Township
Administrator Vicky Earhart
said staff uses these priorities
to develop goals for the year.
For more about your
community visit
www.cincinnati.com/
andersontownship

LISA WAKELAND/STAFF

Anderson Township Trustees Kevin O'Brien, left, Russ Jackson and Peggy Reis agreed to skip the annual retreat and hold
smaller planning sessions at the Anderson Center throughout the year.
cally addressed both those
topics, as well as other specific issues during the yearly retreats.
“I see a tremendous benefit to having planning sessions, and in the long run

planning is critical,” said
Trustee Russ Jackson.
“We’re in a different
mode and in a different time
so let’s try it. But we do
have to plan and think
ahead.”

Earhart said the trustees
and staff can re-evaluate
how the smaller sessions
work at the end of the year.
She also suggested alternating years for full-day
retreats and monthly plan-

Park district discovers unused money
lwakeland@communitypress.com

The Anderson Township
Park District recently discovered $50,000 of taxpayers’ money that has been
sitting in the budget for
nearly four years.
During a review of the
2011 budget in January,
Park Commission President
Dale Bartholomew said
Anderson Township gave
the Park District the taxpayers’ money in 2007 for trail
expansion at Beech Acres

there until we can figure out
how to widen the trails.”
If the money was given
to the Park District for trails
it has to be used for trails,
said Park Commissioner
Duffy Beischel.
Bartholomew suggested
asking the township for permission to transfer the
funds to Johnson Hills Park.
The Park District plans to
start constructing a paved,
loop trail at Johnson Hills
Park, near Little Dry Run
and Bridle roads, in 2012
and recently applied for a

state grant to pay for roughly half of the $300,000
project.
Kushner said he plans to
keep the trail funds at Beech
Acres Park because that’s
where they belong.
For more about your
community visit
www.cincinnati.com/
andersontownship

CE-0000446485

Park and asked why the
money was never used.
Park District Executive
Director Ken Kushner said
the money was designated
for a trail near the playground to the outfield areas
of the baseball diamonds, as
well as additional widening
around areas of the playground at Beech Acres Park,
off Salem Road.
“(The money) was for
trail enhancements, to
widen them to 25 feet …
but there is no room,” he
said. “It’s just been sitting

Beacon only cuts and sells USDA Choice to Prime steaks. We cut fresh
daily. This week we are offering whole N.Y. Strip Loins at $7.99/LB.
We will cut the loin and wrap the steaks to your specification.
Additionally, we will grind your steak trimmings into fresh ground
beef. Please call ahead so we may prepare your order in advance.

School to keep
using new
grading scale
By Forrest Sellers
fsellers@communitypress.com

Forest Hills administrators said
the new grading scale has not had
a significant impact on gradepoint averages.
Members of the district’s Grading Scale Committee, which
included Superintendent Dallas
Jackson, provided an update to the
Board of Education on the new
grading scale, which was implemented at the beginning of the
school year for grades 7-12.
The district began using a College Board scale in which an “A” is
a grade of 90 to 100, a “B” is 80 to
89 and an “F’ is below 65. Under
the previous grading scale 93 to
100 was an “A,” 85 to 92 was a
“B” and below 70 was an “F.”
The average grade-point average for 2009-2010 using the previous grading scale was 3.2. The
grade-point average for the first
semester of 2010-2011 using the
College Board scale was 3.3.
Jackson said the initial transition
to the new scale created some challenges for the students. However,
he said with the new scale the performance on semester exams has
become more important.
The rounding factor on grades
is smaller with the new grading
scale. The previous grading scale
had a rounding factor of 0.5 so a
3.5 was rounded to a 4.0.
Under the new grading scale a
3.5 would get rounded to a 3.7.
With the rounding factor,
exams have a greater significance,
according to Jackson.
“With greater emphasis on
semester exams, (the students)
will have to work harder on

Forest Hills launches support
program with tutors and tech
By Forrest Sellers

Heis

fsellers@communitypress.com

grades they get,”
he said. “This
grading
scale
has given our
exams
more
validity.”
Board members said the Jackson
district’s previous grading scale made it more
difficult for the students to obtain
scholarships and could create
challenges during the college
application process.
However,
board
member
Richard Neumann said he still has
concerns about the College Board
scale.
“There has got to be a simpler
way,” he said. “I am concerned
about grade inflation.”
Neumann said 6 percent more
students got “A’s” last semester
using the new scale. “We’re trying
to prepare students for the real
world,” he said, adding that
adjusting the grading scale may
not necessarily be the best way to
accomplish this.
Board member Forest Heis,
though, said he supports the College Board scale. “It gives you a
clear cut idea of what you need,”
he said. He said the students have
a better idea of what they need to
accomplish to get a certain grade.
During last week’s meeting, the
school board also set a date for its
next works session. The board will
meet 8 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at
the administration building, 7550
Forest Road. The next board meeting will be 7 p.m. Monday, Feb.
28, and will also be at the administration building.
For more about your community visit
www.cincinnati.com/andersontownship.

A pilot program will provide
Forest Hills Local School District
students additional time with
tutors and technology.
With funding from the Forest
Hills Foundation for Education,
the district has launched the
“Access 24/7 Learning” program
at Nagel Middle School and both
Anderson and Turpin high
schools.
As part of the program teachers
will be available up to two-days
per week after school to provide
in-house academic assistance and
support. Technology and media
center resources will also be available to the students.
“We want to support the overall mission of the schools and help
our students be more successful,”
said Tom McGill, president of the
Forest Hills Foundation. “It’s
about providing additional opportunities.”
The Foundation presented a
check to the district for $5,000,
which will go toward the program.
FORREST SELLERS/STAFF
“Just from what the kids told Anderson High School students Angela Massoud, right, and Bailey Guyton work on computers in
me they think it’s an awesome the media center. Anderson, along with Turpin High School and Nagel Middle School, is launching a
idea to get help in the evening and new “Access 24/7 Learning” program, which will provide students with after-hours use of the
have access to technology,” said computers as well as academic support.
Anderson High School Principal
Diana Carter.
McGill said the
Anderson
additional
access to
“We want to support the overall mission of the schools and help
High School
computers outside
s o p h o m o r e our students be more successful. It’s about providing additional
the classroom is
Angela Mas- opportunities.”
important. “There
soud said she
Tom McGill are a number of stuwill likely use
President of the Forest Hills Foundation for Education dents in the district
this resource
who don’t have
when
she
access to their own
begins taking
she said.
personal computers,” he said.
advanced placement courses.
Anderson High School junior
The Foundation sponsors
“This gives (students) an Chad Barth said he also considers fundraisers such as the Forest
opportunity to meet with a teacher the program beneficial. “It pro- Hills 5K run and walk in May and
and maybe get a different perspec- vides a good opportunity for one- the alumni basketball game in
tive on how to solve a problem,” on-one help,” he said.
March.

SCHOOLS NOTES
Meeting

A meeting for parents of Forest Hills Local
School District eighth-graders will be 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 16, in Turpin High School’s
auditorium.
During the meeting parents will be given
information for selecting high school courses
for the 2011-2012 school year.
Among the topics to be discussed are

planning a four-year program of study, teacher
recommendations, course-selection process
and the academic expectations of the high
school.
High school teachers, counselors and
administrators will participate in this meeting.
Parents will also be given time to review
textbooks and tour the building.
Call 232-7770 for more information.

Conferences

Turpin High School will conduct parentteacher conferences 4:30-8 p.m. Wednesday,
Feb. 23.
To make an appointment for conferences
call 232-7770, ext. 2801, between 7:30-11
a.m. and 12:30-3 p.m.

The following students have earned honors for the first quarter of
2010-2011.
PROVIDED

McNicholas High School theatre teacher Jeff Mulvey, right, reviews lines with junior David
Wiesenhahn, left, and freshman Adam Dill for their upcoming production of William Shakespeare’s
comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Shakespeare comedy coming
to McNicholas High School
McNicholas High School will
perform William Shakespeare’s
comedy “A Midsummer Night’s
Dream” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday,
Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 12, in
McNicholas High School’s Black
Box Theater
A special Valentine’s Day performance will be presented at 7
p.m. Monday, Feb. 14.

Ticket prices for the Feb. 10
and Feb. 12 shows are $6 for students and seniors and $8 for
adults.
Tickets for the Feb. 14 performance are $5.
To reserve tickets, contact theatre teacher Jeff Mulvey at 2313500, ext. 5137, or at jmulvey@
mcnhs.org.

• In boys basketball, Turpin
fell to Milford, 75-51, Feb. 1.
Mitch Stevens had a team
high 15 points.
On Feb. 4, Turpin beat
Kings, 54-43. Adam Boyer led
the team with 20 points. Connor Grotton scored 15 points.
• In girls basketball, Turpin
was defeated by Glen Este,
61-47, Feb. 2. Ashley Long
had a game high 23 points.
On Feb. 5, Turpin beat Little Miami, 58-38.
• In boys bowling, Turpin
fell to Wilmington, 2,5822,342, Jan. 31. Steve Varnau
had a high series of 371 for
the Spartans.
On Feb. 1, Turpin fell to
Norwood, 2,091-2,013. Sean
Mathews had a high series of
327.
On Feb. 2, Turpin fell to
Wilmington, 2,765-2,320. Varnau had a high series of 390
for the Spartans.
• In girls bowling the Lady
Spartans fell to Wilmington,
2,229-1,739, Jan. 31. Loren
Combs posted a high series of
346 pins.
On Feb. 1, Turpin defeated
St. Ursula and Norwood,
1,993-1,871-1,582.
Abbey
Wernick-Kaito had the team’s
high series (339).
On Feb. 2, Wilmington
defeated Turpin, 2,518-1,668.
Wernick-Kaito had a high
series of 329 pins.
• In boys swimming,
Anderson defeated Turpin, 9291, Feb. 1.
• In girls swimming, Turpin
defeated Anderson 110-69.

After falling to Turpin High School at
the Fort Ancient Valley Conference
championships Jan. 29, the Anderson
boys' squad rebounded with a 92-91
victory over the Spartans, Feb. 1.
The Redskins were aided by senior
Wade Paroz, who broke a 33-year-old
record in the 50-yard freestyle at the
dual meet.
The record belonged to 1980
Olympic swimmer, Bill Barrett.
Paroz completed the race in 21.71
seconds.
At the FAVC Championships, several
Anderson High School swimmers and
divers did their best to keep the
Redskins in contention.
For the boys, the Redskins efforts
were spearheaded by divers Jason
Smith (second), Jason Ratcliff (third),
Jacob Ramsey (fourth) and Joshua
Roberts (fifth).
Paroz turned in second-place
finishes in the 50-yard freestyle
(21.79) and 100-yard freestyle races
(47.30).
The Redskins earned first place in
the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:29.19),
which featured Kile Auckerman, Connor
Davis, Jimmy Nordloh and Paroz.
For the girls, junior Cecilia Rose
placed second in the 100-yard butterfly
with a mark of 1 minute, 2.48 seconds.
Rose, along with Melissa Hascher,
Christeena Parsons and Nicole
Holtkamp, placed third in the 400-yard
freestyle relay (3:56.31).
Sophomore Meredith Johnson
grabbed second place at 1-meter
diving, with a score of 176.25.

ndudukovich@communitypress.com

Go ahead. Call it a comeback.
The Turpin High School varsity
swim squad overcame a 45-point
deficit to overtake Anderson for the
FAVC East swimming and diving
championship, Jan. 29.
The Spartan swimmers entered
the swimming portion of competition knowing they would have to
come from behind, because Anderson’s divers had helped the Redskins jump out to an early lead.
Turpin received several solid
efforts during the meet, but the
most impressive performance was
turned in by the 400-yard freestyle
relay team.
The quartet of Alex Kenney,
Sean Monahan, Tommy Easley and
Phil Englert set a new FAVC record
in the race with a time of 3 minutes,
17.65 seconds.
Turpin defeated the Anderson
team of Connor Davis, Jared Springman, Kile Aukerman, and Wade
Paroz, by less than a second to grab
the first-place victory.
“That was one of the most exciting finishes we’ve seen in a long
time,” Turpin head coach Rene Contino said. “It was neat that the boys
came together as a team to win the
event, with everyone cheering on the
sideline, it was an exciting moment.”
Other top swimmers for the Spartans included Drew Hamilton, who
placed third in the 500-yard
freestyle and fourth in the 200-yard
individual medley, as well as Kyle
Jackson, who placed third in the

PROVIDED

Turpin's Alex Kenney, Sean Monahan, Tommy Easley and Phil Englert were a part of the first-place
400-yard freestyle relay team at the FAVC championships, Jan. 29.
100-yard breaststroke and the 100yard freestyle.
Besides the relay victory, Monahan claimed second in the 100-yard
breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley.
Contino added that the victory
was a true team effort for the Spartans.
“We knew we were down when
we started. Every single person
needed to improve their seed times
and the guys really stepped up,”
she said.
The Lady Spartans coasted to an
FAVC team championship backed
by the consistent swimming of the
200-yard medley and freestyle
relay teams.
The squad of Molly Hazelbaker,
Gabbie Pettinichi, Morgan Contino
and Valerie Borger set an FAVC

record with a time of 1 minute,
50.93 seconds in the medley event.
For the freestyle race, Jaymie
Polet joined Hazelbaker, Borger and
Morgan Contino to set another
FAVC record with a mark of 1
minute, 41.33 seconds.
The Lady Spartans flexed their
muscles at the event as the school’s
B squad, which consists of Sam
Hardewig, Shaylynn Spelman,
Katie Molloy and Rachel Polanco,
finished second in the freestyle
relay (three seconds behind their
first-place teammates).
Morgan Contino further added to
Turpin’s effort with a win in the
500-yard freestyle event (5:12:03).
Borger contributed to Turpin’s
final point total with second-place
finishes in the 50-yard freestyle and
100-yard freestyle races.

Wise, Bonekamp aid ‘Skins in ‘King of the Hill’ win
By Nick Dudukovich

son right around the corner,
Cripe liked seeing his squad
wrestle at their peak levels.
“It’s good to see the kids
are performing well and are

ndudukovich@communitypress.com

Backed by the performance of David Wise and Sam
Bonekamp, the Anderson
High School wrestling team
cruised to its fourth straight
King of the Hill victory over
McNicholas and Turpin,
Feb. 1.
Anderson’s
Patrick
Campbell (top) is just two
wins shy of 100 career victories after his two wins at
King of the Hill, Feb. 1.
Brandon Severn/Contributor
Wise, a sophomore who
wrestles at 152 pounds, had
been waiting all season to
compete on the varsity mat.
With the recommendation of his teammates, Wise,
who has been waiting in the
wings behind Kyle Koch at
152 pounds, got his chance.
Koch, and other Anderson captains recognized
Wise’s dedication in practice. They went to head
coach Luke Cripe and said
the sophomore deserved a
shot at King of the Hill. The
coach agreed.

BRANDON SEVERN/
CONTRIBUTOR

Turpin’s Michael Aldrich has his hand
raised following his victory at the King
of the Hill meet, Feb. 1.

in shape and doing the right
things,” he said. “It’s important to see them competing
well before the postseason
starts.”

King of the Hill results
BRANDON SEVERN/
CONTRIBUTOR

Anderson junior Patrick Campbell (top) ended the King of the Hill meet just five
wins shy of 100 career victories.
To structure the squad’s
lineup, Koch moved up in
weight to 160 pounds,
Hank Stillwell went up to
171 pounds, and Petar
Ilchovski moved up to 189
pounds.
Wise didn’t let his teammates down and earned two
wins for the Redskins.
“Dave is talented and the
captains said he deserved a
chance to get into the lineup,” Cripe said. “I felt he
deserved it and that was his
first varsity experience. A
sophomore stepping into
that role and getting two
wins was really nice.”
The strategy worked so
perfectly that Anderson
recorded pins over Turpin at
152 pounds, through 285
pounds (six weight classes).
Another
Redskin
wrestler,
senior
Sam
Bonekamp, also made the
most of his opportunity at
the event.
According to Cripe,
Bonekamp spent his first
three seasons with Anderson wrestling at the junior
varsity level.
With standout Patrick
Campbell moving up in
weight, Bonekamp, who
had seven wins on the season, would get his opportu-

OPEN TRYOUTS FOR

nity at 125 pounds.
The senior joined in on
Anderson’s winning parade
by defeating Turpin’s Sean
Kennedy.
“Sam’s worked hard to
get into the lineup,” Cripe
said. “We were concerned
about (the Kennedy match)
and Sam wrestled well and
got two pins for us on the
night.”
Campbell, who is 23-3
on the season, handled
business as usual, despite
wrestling at a higher weight
(135 pounds).
“He’s a very good
wrestler with a lot of talent,” Cripe said.
Campbell’s two victories
at King of the Hill gave the
junior 95 career wins.
With wrestling’s postsea-

BRANDON SEVERN/
CONTRIBUTOR

McNicholas’ Nick Scweickar (top) turns
the tide on Turpin’s Cody Thompson at
the King of the Hill meet, Feb. 1.

for your age group, time & date of tryouts.
All tryouts conducted at
McNicholas High School

VIEWPOINTS

A6

Forest Hills Journal

February 9, 2011

EDITORIALS

What do you remember
about the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986 of the
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003?
“Lorna Onizuka, astronaut Ellison’s wife, and I have been pen
pals since we were 12 years
old. She married El a month
before I got married and we each
had two kids.
“I was devastated when I
learned that El had been on the
Challenger when it exploded. I
was very disheartened when
news coverage of the disaster
focused mainly on the teacher in
space.
“When I visited Lorna a year
after the tragedy, I met the other
widows and their children.
“They suffered much more so
and for a longer time than the
school children across the country
watching for lessons from the
shuttle.
“And I was saddened again
when on the 25th anniversary of
the event, with the exception of
June Scobee Rodgers, the emphasis was on these school children
as adults and how the disaster
affected them since that tragic
day.
“The astronauts had families
and their lives were shattered.
“Their stories deserve to be
heard, too.”
A.B.
“I was teaching at an elementary school in West Clermont
School District. We wheeled in a
‘state of the art’ big screen TV to
watch it as a group of fifth/sixthgraders.
“When it happened everyone
fell silent. There was nothing but
shock. We had a moment of
silence then returned to class.”
K.S.
“Having applauded John F.
Kennedy’s support of the space
program in the ’60s, I watched
with great interest every aspect of
space exploration in the years to
follow. I thought we were pretty
skilled and beyond disasters.
“The disasters of ‘86 and ‘03
taught us that while it’s an amazing journey, there are risks and
lives can be lost.
“I remember the Challenger
disaster most vividly and with
horror still today.
“Seconds into the flight, everyone in the crew was gone, all
those bright minds that would
have made such a difference to
our future in space as well as to
their respective families.
“While the Columbia disaster
was equally as troubling, I
remember watching the take-off
of the Challenger and the horror of
seeing it explode.
“I’m not so sure these days if
the space program is as important
as I thought years ago.
“Today, I focus more on the
needs of people living on Earth
and the need for peace. I don’t
know that as humans, we can
manage Earth and its challenges
and outer space and its challenges.”
E.E.C.

Next question
What is the most romantic
Valentine’s Day gift you’ve received
or given? What made it so special?
Every week the Forest Hills Journal
asks readers a question they can reply
to via e-mail. Send your answers to
foresthills@communitypress.com with
Chatroom in the subject line.

LETTERS

|

COLUMNS

Editor Eric Spangler | espangler@communitypress.com| 576-8251

CH@TROOM

Last week’s question

|

Rhetoric should not be
about the messengers

When the cost of educating
students has gone up 100 percent
in the last 19 years while the rate
of inflation has only gone up 50
percent, something is wrong.
When the school board holds
some of their meetings in private
rather then comply with the law
for open meetings something is
wrong.
When they incur legal expense
from preventable lawsuits, something is wrong.
Casting more votes (using
proxies) than there are members
on the school board, something is
wrong.
Like Mr. Zimmerman, I too am
tired of the school board being in
the news so often. Most of the
time it is not very complimentary.
I am not part of the silent
majority. I have paid for the education of three generations of Forest Hills children.
Supreme Court Justice Brandeis
said: “in the frank expression of
conflicting opinions lies the greatest wisdom in governmental
action.”
Public scrutiny and personal
ethics precludes me from intentionally making misleading statements. Some may not agree with
my opinions. I expected that.
I have also had a lot of positive
feedback. The rhetoric should not
be about the messengers. That
solves nothing.
Please do not debase the political process.
Jim Danehy
Anderson Township

Let’s tone down the vitriol

Today, after over a year, I finally opened a Forest Hills Journal,
after hearing of Mr. Todd Zimmerman’s comments.
I, too, had wondered at the editorial intent in featuring the predictable drone over and over. Is
there just so little else to publish?
Perhaps Mr. Merrill is a cat’s
paw for an editorial slant? Or perhaps just a friend needing free PR?
Your favorite fiscalizer might
please use less foam and just a bit
more civility and factuality.
Personal disclosure: I like our
school system very much. It has
been delivering a top-percentile job
by a number of national metrics.
I am grateful my wife prevailed
in putting our sons in the public
school system, and that’s for

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
About letters and columns
We welcome your comments on
editorials, columns, stories or other
topics important to you in The Forest
Hills Journal. Include your name,
address and phone number(s) so we
may verify your letter.
Letters of 200 or fewer words and
columns of 500 or fewer words have
the best chance of being published.
Please include a photo with a column
submission.
many reasons beyond its excellent
academics. So, yes, we support
these people in whom we entrust
our children.
Some very vocal critics who
benefit from the system’s services,
especially the very subsidized programs for children with special
needs, might have the graciousness, if not the humility, to tone
down the vitriol.
No doubt, in any organization
there can always be better efficiencies: at Forest Hills, though,
we may be down to scrimshaw.
All politics are local, said Tipp
O’Neil – indeed; well, let the
school performances drop, and
let’s see how much lower real
estate prices go.
Julian Mendoza
Anderson Township

Church thanks fire department

We would like to thank the
Anderson Township Fire Department for serving our congregation
when a frozen sprinkler head
burst inside our building on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011.
Their quick response prevented
extensive water damage.
Also, their support and flexibility enabled the people who arrived
not long after the incident to still
worship in a modified setting.
A special thanks goes to Battalion Chief Rick Martin who spent
hours on the scene and was so
helpful.
Cindy Eldred
Parkside Christian
Church office manager
On behalf of the church’s members

Trustee: Completing parking
garage is not a done deal

Recently Anderson Township
Trustee Russell Jackson was noted
in the Cincinnati Enquirer (Jan.
22 online, Jan. 23 in print) as stating the public parking garage near
the Anderson (Government) Cen-

All submissions may be edited for
length, accuracy and clarity.
Deadline: Noon Friday
E-mail: foresthills@
communitypress.com.
Fax: 248-1938.
U.S. mail: See box below.
Letters, columns and articles
submitted to The Forest Hills Journal
may be published or distributed in print,
electronic or other forms.
ter “will definitely be built.”
This statement, although hopeful, is not the official position of
the Anderson Township Board of
Trustees.
The developer of the project
and a local bank are locked in
foreclosure proceedings. As of
today the bank has claims of
about $2 million against the
developer and the property. The
garage is about half finished.
Before any additional work is
done, the bank should be satisfied.
There are no “white knights”
standing at the township’s front
door to satisfy the bank and provide the additional monies needed
to complete the garage which
plans to have spaces for about
140 vehicles.
A quick summary of the costs
associated with this project is in
order. To date the township has
written checks totaling $5.8 million. The bank has claims of about
$2 million. Allowing for $3 million
to $3.5 million in additional costs
to complete the parking garage
portion of the building brings a
total of $11.3 million.
At $80,000 per parking space,
this Township trustee will lose a
bit of sleep over making the decision to move forward or not.
Kevin O’Brien
Anderson Township trustee

It’s good to see the other
side of the school issue

I write in support of the article
that Mr. Todd Zimmerman, a fellow Anderson resident, wrote in
your paper (dated Feb. 2, 2010).
For the last few months I’m
pleasantly surprised to see mostly
the articles from the two gentlemen (whom Mr. Zimmerman
refers as two amigos). Apart from
bashing the school district, I’ve
not seen anything new there.
I guess for the sake of fairness
you should also ask the Forest

Hill school board president or the
school superintendent to respond.
I had a conversation with Dr.
Dallas Jackson few months back
where Dr. Jackson mentioned that
your paper does not publish Dr.
Jackson’s articles.
Please allow the debate in a fair
manner, unless you’ve a conflict
of interest and would like to be a
school district basher.
Finally, Mr. Zimmerman let us
join in campaigning for two Amigos as our future board members.
I believe we’ll see heaven on earth
for our school district since they
have all the right plans in place.
Perhaps “our friends” are forgetting that “plans are cheap, executions are tough.”
Sugata Chakravarti
Anderson Township
(Editor’s note: The Forest Hills Journal
has never received a letter or guest
column from Dallas Jackson.)

Parent appreciates
school happenings

I see great things happening
every day in the school district:
For the community:
• The achievement of Excellent
for 10 consecutive years, ranking
among the top school districts in
Ohio. Just like with professional
sports teams, it is incredibly challenging to sustain this type of success and value. It makes me proud
to be part of it.
My own personal experience in
two of the nine schools:
• At Ayer, I see teachers that
spend extra time each day helping
students during lunch hours and
before and after school. I have
talked to them and know that
other school work moves to
evening hours to allow this
focused time for the kids. I know
the kids’ grades have improved
from the interventions.
• At Nagel, the pilot laptop program Partners for Powerful Learning is rolling out in the seventh
grade in January. It gives students
experience with integrating technology as part of educational
experience. It expands their
resources and allows them to see
how technology will play out in
their lives beyond high school.
It’s great to see these things in
our schools and community, and I
just wanted to express my appreciation.
Pam Bernstein
Anderson Township

Remember who wanted to consolidate
Students in Forest Hills High
Schools are pretty active. It’s hard
to drive by Anderson and Turpin
and not notice parking lots full of
cars after 4 p.m. and see boys and
girls involved in some sort of
practice.
I would suspect that most people would be surprised that there
are almost twice as many participants in non-sport activities than
sports activities.
While the district was evaluating if we should consolidate high
schools I asked two simple questions?
How many student opportunities existed in the district, and
what type of impact would the
consolidation of high schools
have on extracurricular activities?
Dr. Jackson worked with the
principals of the high schools to
acquire a significant amount of
quality data regarding participation in clubs and sports.
It did not collect data on school
performances (plays and musi-

cals), as they
are not clubs or
sports and most
of the participants in school
plays participate
in some other
club.
However, I
Mark will estimate
Kapostasy that each high
has two
Community school
performances
Press guest per year with 60
columnist active participants (technical
and performers). I would guess
this adds an extra 240 opportunities to participate.
Making this addition our high
schools offer over 125 activities
each year.
Our approximate 2,400 high
school students engage in over
4,150 activities. Only 1,400 of
these are in sports.
The Forest Hills school district
does a great job of creating an

opportunity for just about everyone.
A tip of the cap is warranted to
all of the people that work with
our kids in these extracurricular
activities. Your time and effort are
greatly appreciated.
On the simple side of things
you help them develop their skills
and talents. However, your real
value goes much deeper.
You help keep our teenagers
stay engaged.
You provide our kids a place to
go and things to do that are
important to them. They learn
how to be a part of group.
They learn that their contributions, whether great or small, add
value. You create an opportunity
for kids to feel good about themselves.
The people who facilitate these
activities are greatly undervalued.
They volunteer countless hours or
work at a deeply discounted rate.
They understand the importance
of keeping teenagers engaged.

Many, if not most, of these
people are teachers, and I commend them for their involvement.
(Keep in mind, not all teachers get
involved in these activities).
As a community and school
district we need to do a better job
of acknowledging their contributions.
The community’s concern over
consolidating schools was warranted.
It is easy to estimate, had we
made the decision to consolidated
high schools we would have
destroyed at least 40 percent of
these opportunities through
redundancy and 1,600 opportunities would have been lost.
The next time you vote
remember whose brainchild it was
to consolidate schools.
The next time you see an
adviser or coach, say thank you.
They make the Anderson Township a better place.
Mark Kapostasy is an Anderson
Township resident.

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on “Share!” Send digital photos to “life@communitypress.com” along
with event information. Items are printed on a space-available basis
with local events taking precedence.
Deadline is two weeks before publication date. To find more
calendar events, go to “www.cincinnati.com” and choose from a
menu of items in the Entertainment section on the main page.

Painting Exhibit and Artists’ Painting
Demonstrations, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Greenwich House Gallery, 2124 Madison Road.
Browse a variety of artwork by local artists
and watch local artists demonstrate their
methods and techniques. All ages. Part of
ArtsWave Sampler Weekends. Free. Presented by ArtsWave. Through March 26. 8718787; greenwichhousegallery.com/workshops. O’Bryonville.

can all be found from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 14, at the Cincinnati Observatory Center, 3489 Observatory Place,
Mount Lookout. There will be a presentation about Mars by Dean Regas, tours of buildings and viewing through historic
telescopes (weather permitting). Reservations are required. Cost is $50 per couple. Call 321-5186, or visit
www.cincinnatiobservatory.org.

Kolache Factory features delicious pastries ﬁlled with a variety of the ﬁnest ingredients, such as meats, cheeses
and fruits. And, all of our kolaches are baked fresh daily. They are perfect for breakfast, lunch or an afternoon snack.

Sun-Thurs 4pm-10pm • Fri & Sat 4pm-11pm

Reservations accepted

www.elcoyotecincy.com

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Drawings

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Buy 3 Kolaches & Get 3 FREE

Now Through March 7th!
Must be 18 Years of Age or Older

Of equal or lesser value.

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$

Excludes Specialty items such as Croissants and Polish Varieties. One coupon per customer. Cannot be
combined with any other oﬀer. One time use. May not be duplicated or copied. Oﬀer expires 3/9/11. CE-58

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OFF

CE-0000446372

Order Online at KolacheFactoryToGo.com

CE-0000443117

Dine-In Food Purchase of $40 or More

513-233-2253

Every
Monday

(Excludes Alcohol)

Expires 3/15/2011. Dining room only.
No substitutions. Not valid with any other coupons
or specials. Not valid Valentine’s Day - 2/14/2011.

You may also enter by mailing this
form to the address above.
Name ____________________
Address __________________
________________________
Phone____________________

Life

February 9, 2011

Forest Hills Journal

The type of love that shines the brightest
find. Fortunate are those
who experience it.
Victor Hugo stated well
its
importance:
“The
supreme happiness in life is

loved because of some
thing or quality we have,
what will happen if we lose
it or someone else comes
along with more of the lovable quality?
What happens when age
takes away the quality, poor
economic times deplete our
resources, or an accident
deforms our body?
If we can have an inkling
that we are loved with a
because-kind-of-love, insecurity results.
We stay on guard lest it
appear we have lost the tenuous quality which endear
us. We worry: “If the quality goes, will love go, too?”
The third stone, the brilliant diamond, symbolizes
unconditional love. Colloquially we could call it “in
spite of” kind of love.
There are no strings
attached, no list of expectations, we do not deserve it
or earn it – we just mysteriously receive it from the one
loving us.
We are loved just
because the one loving us
sees some great worth in us
as a person.
We probably don’t even
see it ourselves. We are irreplaceable to the one who
loves us.
This is also the kind of
love with which God loves
us. It’s not because we’ve
done everything right and
earn it, but it comes from
the heart of the one loving
us.
This unconditional love
is rare among humans. Yet,
this is the kind of love for
which our hearts are desperately hunger.
It is a very rare gem to

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CE-1001597000-01

strings
attached.
So much
self-centeredness.
M a n y
such fragile
relationships
Father Lou crack and
Guntzelman b r e a k
apart after
Perspectives awhile.
Expectations eventually are not
met, disillusionment sets in,
and whatever we bartered
away to get this if-only love
wasn’t enough. What was
thought to be genuine love
turns into disinterest or
hate.
Sometimes even parental
love can be tainted by the
“if” kind of love.
Whether its expectations
are the too-strict demands
of Tiger Mom, or the
absence of needed discipline
from Too Soft Moms, young
children can become confused over whether they are
truly loved at all.
The second stone, representing the second kind of
love, could be called the
“because” kind of love.
A person is still not loved
for themselves but because
of some quality they possess, something they have,
or something they do. “I
love you because you have
such a beautiful body;
because you’re rich, powerful, popular or wellknown.”
This kind of love gave
birth to the belief that
“power, money and position
are the greatest aphrodisiacs!” Of course, if we’re

Valentine’s Day was fast
approaching. A handsome
young man stood at a jewelry store counter.
In front of him, on a
black velvet cloth, were
three glittering stones. All
were cut with precision and
to the uneducated eye all
three looked like diamonds.
Actually however, one
was glass, one was zircon,
and one was an elegant diamond.
The price range went
from $75 to several thousand. Only a professional
gemologist could immediate
tell them apart.
They looked stunning
but needed to be carefully
distinguished – just as types
of love need to be carefully
distinguished as regards
their value.
In fact, we can use the
three stones before the
young man to symbolize
three possible kinds of love.
The faceted glass stone
could represent a particular
kind of love called “iflove.”
It’s the most common
type of love. Of course, it
glitters and glistens but it’s
not very valuable and easily scratched. It has strings
attached.
If-love is not love at all.
It’s self-centered and offered
only in exchange for something our alleged lover
wants from us.
“If you put me first, meet
my expectations and be
what I want you to be; if
you’re sexually fulfilling; if
you overlook any kind of
treatment from me, I’ll love
you.”
So many ifs. So many

B3

NON-DENOMINATIONAL
FAITH CHRISTIAN

FELLOWSHIP CHURCH
(Preaching the Gospel of Hope)
6830 School Street
(Newtown)

Let cake cool completely.
Break into pieces and, with
a mixer or fork, crumble
cake into fine crumbs.
Start adding icing, about
1
⁄2 cup at a time. You’ll notice
the more you mix the cake
with the icing, the more
moist it gets.
Add more icing depending upon how you like the
finished pops – with a cakelike or creamy center.
(Make a small ball, about
an inch or so. If it holds
together, and it’s still a bit
cake-like in texture, you
can use it like that. For a
more creamy texture, add a
bit more icing. I like mine
cake-like).
Put in freezer for an hour
to get hard. Or refrigerate
until very firm, a couple of
hours.
(You can leave them in
the fridge several days or in
the freezer a couple of
weeks at least).
Dip in melted chocolate
and IMMEDIATELY sprinkle
on toppings before icing
sets.
Insert on sucker sticks
and put them into a foam
base, covered with foil, etc.
Or put them into paper
candy liners, or make individual gifts by wrapping

could leak out. Place on
sprayed baking sheet. Chill
until firm.
To store: Store in tightly
covered container in fridge.
Bring to room temperature
before eating.
COURTESY RITA HEIKENFELD

Make your own chocolate-covered
cherries this Valentine’s Day.
2 cups powdered sugar
12 oz. or so melted
chocolate
Mix butter and syrup,
then mix in powdered
sugar. It will look a bit dry
but will come together as
you knead it smooth.
If too soft to handle, chill
for 15 minutes. (Mixture
can also be made a week
ahead and brought to room
temperature).
Shape 1⁄2 to l teaspoon
mixture around each cherry,
fitting the fondant closely to
the cherry, enclosing the
base of the stem as well.
Roll in your palms to
smooth fondant. Place on
baking sheet and chill until
firm. This is necessary for
the chocolate to adhere.
Melt chocolate. Let cool a
bit – chocolate will be still be
warm and very liquid. Dip
cherry into chocolate.
Seal completely or juice

OPEN
TRYOUTS
FOR

Per person,
double occupancy

Tips from readers

Dairy-free
chocolate
chips: Read labels. Alexia
Kadish, a Loveland reader,
cautions to read labels to make
sure chips are dairy-free.
The recipe from a reader
last week for dairy-free
chocolate chip cookies
called for chocolate chips.
Some are dairy-free; others
are not; others may be
dairy-free but processed in a
plant that uses dairy.
As Alexia suggests, “A
good way to locate chocolate chips without dairy is to
look for the kosher label
that has a tiny reference to
‘parve’ next to it.”
Checking
further,
“parve” means by rabbinical supervision there will be
no milk, butter or dairy in it.
‘D’ or ‘dairy’ will mean it
could be possible that dairy
is included. Thanks, Alexia!

Can you help?

Thriftway ham loaf.
Randy Sias is still looking
for the ham loaf made at the
Thriftway on Five Mile Road
in Anderson Township.
Rita Nader Heikenfeld is an
herbalist, educator and author.
E-mail columns@community
press.com with “Rita’s kitchen”
in the subject line. Call 513-2487130, ext. 356.

each pop
in a cellop h a n e
bag.
Store in
fridge,
covered.
Bring to
room temRita
perature
Heikenfeld
before eating.
Rita’s kitchen
Even
easier:
Use doughnut holes instead
of the cake. This is especially fun for the kids to do. I
like to use glazed doughnut
holes.
Optional but good:
Substitute up to 1⁄4 cup of
favorite liqueur for liquid
used in cake mix, or add an
extra dash of vanilla, some
cinnamon, etc.

CE-0000444782

I remember well my first
box of Valentine’s candy. I
was 16 and my boyfriend,
Jim, brought over two huge
heart-shaped boxes of
candy from the drugstore.
One was, of course, for
me, and the other was for
Mom. Needless to say, Jim

A special needs classroom at Mercer Elementary
School remains closed after
a fire on Feb. 5.
Anderson Township firefighters responded after an
alarm in the heating and air
conditioning duct sounded
around 8:21 p.m. Saturday
night, Assistant Fire Chief
Craig Best said.
It was contained to one
classroom and the fire
caused damage to papers, a
book case and a window,

Best said.
He added the fire was
accidental, but the cause is
still under investigation.
Two offices and four
classrooms were impacted,
said Ray Johnson, director
of business operations for
the Forest Hills Local School
District.
Soot and a smoke odor
extended beyond the classroom where the fire
occurred, Johnson said.
Staff members and others came to the school Feb.
6, to help clean soot from

books, shelves and other
surfaces before classes on
Monday.
Two of the classrooms
were expected to be ready
for use by Tuesday, Feb. 8,
and another one by
Wednesday, Feb. 9, Johnson
said.
He added the classroom
where the fire occurred will
not be usable for several
weeks.
Mercer Elementary is
located at 2600 Bartels
Road, behind Turpin High
School.

Information is provided as
a public service by the office of
Hamilton County Auditor Dusty
Rhodes. Neighborhood
designations are approximate.
Home Management LLC to Smith
Kortney D.; $60,000.
1539 Beacon St.: Home Sweet
Home Management LLC to Smith
Kortney D.; $60,000.

NEWTOWN

7189 English Drive: Pohl Tracy L. to
Gehling Joseph J; $112,000.

About police reports

A vent stack at B-Way
Corp. on Broadwell Road
caught fire late Sunday
night.
Firefighters responded to
the fire around 10:30 p.m.
Feb. 6 and discovered
smoke coming from the
building and the vent stack,
according to a release from
the Anderson Township Fire

& Rescue Department.
A thermal imaging camera showed a large amount
of heat in one portion of the
vent stack used for lithographs, the release said.
Firefighters allowed the
fire to burn itself out and
kept the system under
observation.
Assistant Fire Chief Craig
Best said the company took
care of the build-up of mate-

B5

rial in the duct. Firefighters
returned to B-Way Corp.
Monday after reports of the
vent heating to high temperatures, Best said.
There were no injuries
and all employees were
evacuated during the incident, the release said.
B-Way Corp. is located at
8200 Broadwell Road in
northern Anderson Township.